Freightways Plows into Christie's

“This is one of the early corporate collections to focus on photography and with a specific theme,” said Joshua Holdeman, international director of Christie’s photography department. “These photographs were so cheap then, it was an easy way for a corporation to put together a large collection.”

But now many of the images — works by the likes of Ansel Adams and Hiroshi Sugimoto; Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans; Robert Mapplethorpe, William Eggleston and Bernd and Hilla Becher — are highly sought after by collectors willing to pay hefty sums. The entire collection is expected to bring more than $1.5 million.

Among the highlights is Mapplethorpe’s “Flag,” from 1987, which is estimated at $70,000 to $90,000, and Robert Frank’s “U.S. 285, New Mexico,” from 1956 ($50,000 to $70,000).